Rep. Tracey Mann's Statement on the Beef Supply Chain

Statement

Rep. Tracey Mann released the following statement regarding the House Agriculture Committee hearing to address the recovery and rebuilding of America's beef supply chain:

"As a fifth generation farm kid and member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, I am a fierce advocate for a competitive cattle market. Yesterday's hearing was a good opportunity to hear from the witnesses and speak out with my colleagues on this important topic. Following this hearing, we must take action to address the issue:

Full committee hearing: I am grateful to Chairman Costa and Ranking Member Johnson for holding this subcommittee hearing, but this vital issue deserves the consideration of the full committee. We must hear directly from producers who raise livestock in their everyday work.
Additional packing capacity: We must work to add more packing capacity to address the glut of backed up cattle in the supply chain. It is no secret that the COVID-19 shutdown last year has significantly impacted supply chains. Slow recovery from the shutdown and labor shortages have contributed in part to low cattle prices, even when there is strong demand for beef from consumers domestically and abroad.
Maximum value for producers: I will continue to fight for Kansas Ag producers and their right to oversee the decisions on how to best market their own cattle. In my oversight role on the subcommittee, I also want to ensure that as the market recovers, any price fluctuation was due to supply and demand, and not any misconduct in the market. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Justice began an investigation following the several market-disrupting events, and I have repeatedly asked them to provide details on any findings of misconduct and conclude their investigation.

I am an advocate for solutions that don't grow government involvement, and would encourage the end of supplemental unemployment payments in Kansas to bring our meatpacking industry back to full capacity. I look forward to continuing my work on behalf of Kansas agriculture."

Congressman Tracey Mann represents the Big First District, which ranks number one among Congressional Districts for value of sales of cattle and calves, at more than $9 billions annually and accounts for more than 20 percent of the nation's beef slaughter capacity.

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